Sarandon stays fearless and ageless

Ask anyone in Hollywood what's the biggest mistake female actors make and the answer comes in a flash: they age. Staying alive is a sure-fire career killer for women onscreen.

But then there's Susan Sarandon, who had her first starring role in 1970 (Joe) and opens in Tammy this week playing - wait for it - a grandmother.

How does she do it? By being fearless.

When NOW talked to her in 1996, she was set to open Dead Man Walking, in which she portrayed a nun supporting a male prisoner on death row.

She was taking two fundamental risks. First, she was working with director Tim Robbins, her husband at the time (they separated in 2009). They had to live separately during the shoot for the relationship to survive.

And second, though she's one of Hollywood's most glamorous women, she played the role entirely without makeup, an experience she described as appalling (page 29 of the issue). She won the best-actress Oscar for her performance, so it was worth the anxiety.

Her nun characterization aside, Sarandon's image is as one smokin'-hot mature woman. She was well into her 40s when she made Bull Durham, White Palace and Thelma & Louise, defying Tinseltown's "age and you dry up" ethos.

In Tammy, she and Melissa McCarthy head out on a road trip. (See review, page 46). She plays the grandmother, sure, but this is Sarandon we're talking about, so she drinks and sleeps around. Natch.